Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has hit out at the BBC, claiming "they'll keep you till you're of no use to them".
Last month, Nadiya, who won the sixth season of Bake Off in 2015, announced that the BBC had decided not to renew her series of cookery shows.
She later broke her silence on the cancellation via a post on social media, telling fans: "I am allowed to feel angry when I'm treated unfairly."
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Reflecting on the BBC's decision and what it means to be a Muslim woman in British media on the We Need to Talk podcast, Nadiya opened up to host Paul C Brunson.
Asked by Paul if she felt that 'speaking her truth' was behind the BBC's decision not to recommission her shows, Nadiya said she initially accepted in her head that she was "very BBC" after speaking with other broadcasters.
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She said: "I suppose it means that they've got me exactly where they want me and utterly unbiased. And just they've got me where they want me. Neutral. And I am not neutral.
"I have opinions and I have things to say. They'll keep you till you're of no use to them. And I think that's what happened."
Saying the broadcaster gave her "lots of reasons" why they couldn't commission her show, Nadiya explained that she was never given a definitive reason despite having "great ratings".
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She continued: "It was interesting because my husband and I always spoke about it and he just said, there's going to be a point where they're not going to need you anymore. And the second you don't fit the box, like they have a neat little box, when you don't fit that box anymore, there'll be no space for you.
"And I suppose I don't fit that space anymore. And to be fair, I'm not comfortable in boxes anyway. I prefer a glass ceilings to smash through, thank you very much."
On what's next for Nadiya, the TV chef said: "You know what, I think I'm going to be the truest, most honest version of myself, entirely unfiltered, with no management, nobody to tell me what I can do, can't do, can say, can't say."
A BBC spokesperson said: "After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment. Nadiya remains a much valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects."
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
